Spring is here for reals, I think. No, it is here, it has just been a bit raw and maybe a bit more rainy then it really needs to be, but whatever, it is spring and it is good. Things are greener by the day, the temperatures although not exactly warm are still inhabitable and without cause for winter jackets (although I have still been rocking the mittens) and spring veggies are popping up all over. Things are looking good.

So last week I made a pie crust with the intention to make a veggie pot pie and stuck it into the freezer. When the time came to make said pot pie, I forgot to take it out of the freezer so the crust was not meant to be for pot pie (it will probably end up as a rhubarb pie…we shall see). Without pie crust, I wasn’t exactly feeling like I should make a pot pie, but a tart, well yeah, sure. A crispy and chewy crackery crusted thing with almond ricotta a spring veggies because that is where the mind went and what the mr agreed sounded good. (When I make up recipes I just start taking about ingredient and preparations and wait til the mr says “Yea, that loud good. I’ll eat that “ He usually will say it right away and for anything. Very easy to please or he just doesn’t care…hum? )

And so the tart was made and the tart was eaten in all entirety for dinner by the mr alone. Usually when he eats all of something it means it was one of the really good things. Or he is really really hungry. But he said it was a really good thing. I trust him because I agreed. I got in a few spoonfuls of the almond ricotta mixture and it is really freaking good if I do say so myself (I could eat bowls of almond ricotta all day long).

Anyway, heres to spring and all things that are green and good.

To the tart.

The stuff. Flours (white and white whole wheat), baking powder, and a little salt in the bowl. Water and olive oil, blanched almonds, a lemon, a clove of garlic, asparagus, peas, frozen and thawed spinach, a small red onion, and salt and pepper.

Start with making the crust. Mix the dry together then add in the oil and water to form a dough. Knead dough a minutes until the dough is uniform and place back in bowl and cover. Dough needs a few alone minutes to rest. I can relate to that.

While dough is resting, make the almond ricotta. Almonds, garlic, the juice of the lemon, and a bit of water go into blender. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper too.

Blend until creamy and smooth.

Dump in the spinach and blend, just until combined.

So good. So. Good.

Scoop ricotta into a bowl and mix in the peas. And sure give it another taste but try not to eat it all.

Grab the onion and slice it all nice and thin.

And after the resting time, grab dough and roll it out. Try for a rectangular shape or as rectangular as you can get it, but nice and thin. Thiner is better.

Place rolled out dough onto a baking sheet and poke the bottom with lots of little hole. Take ricotta mixture and spread evenly all over crust, leaving a 1 1/2 border all the way around.

Add a layer of onions.

Then top with the asparagus and more onions.

Fold over the edges of the crust, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, and into the oven it goes to bake.

And then it is baked. And ready to eat (after a few minutes of cooling).

Nothing left but to cut it up and eat it.

Spring. Green. Food.

Things are good.

-C

Almond Ricotta Tart with Spring Vegetables

Makes a 8x12(ish) tart

For the Crust

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup white whole wheat (can sub for all purpose)

3 tablespoon oil

1/3 cup room temp water

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Almond Ricotta and Veggies

1/2 cup blanched almonds

1/4- 1/3 cup warm water

1 lemon

1 clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper or more to taste

1/4 cup frozen and thawed spinach squeezed of liquid

9-10 spears of Asparagus

1/4 cup peas (fresh or frozen and thawed)

1 /2 red onion

First make the crust. Whisk together the flours, salt, and baking soda. Add in the oil and water and mix until a dough forms. Form dough into a ball and knead for minute or two on counter then place dough back into the bowl and cover. The dough needs to rest for 10-15 minutes.

While dough is resting, make the almond ricotta. Place almonds, garlic, and juice of lemon into a blender. Start blending and add in the lesser amount of water, adding a little more until the stuff all starts to blend. Blend on high for a minute or two until the mixture is nice and creamy. Season with salt and pepper, blend a second to mix then add in the squeezed out spinach. Blend until mix together then dump or scoop the mixture into a bowl and mix in the peas. Then thinly slice up the onion.

Preheat the oven to 450

After doughs little rest, lightly flour a counter and roll it out, thin as you can, in a rectangular shape. Try for at least 12in x 16in. The rectangle doesn’t need to be perfect. Rough is good.

Place the rolled out crust onto a baking. Take a fork and dock the surface (poke holes into it to prevent air bubbles). Take the ricotta and pea mixture and spread evenly on crust, leaving about a 1 1/2 inch border all the way around. Add a layer of sliced red onion and then take asparagus (trim off woody ends) and either lay on whole or break in half and lay on. Add more onions on top. Fold the border of the crust over the top. Sprinkle the whole thing with pepper and place into the hot oven.

Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the crust becomes a nice golden brown. Remove and let cool a few minutes

And then cut up and eat. Right away or at room temperature. Or some now and some later. All up you you.

Store left over in fridge in air tight container for up to a few days. the crust will not be crispy but more chewy. Can stick it back in oven for a few minutes to crisp it up.

If you come around my house in the cold months, you will more times then not find yourself faced with fresh bread. Why? Well because I like to bake bread. But mostly, if I am honest, when I am cold, I bake. (We keep the house heat off until at least November 1. After that we keep the heat at a low 60 when it’s on.) I like the house to be kept on the colder side, but sometime, it’s a little brisk so if I am home and cold, I am probably just going to bake something, to stay warm of course. This focaccia was my first foray baking to stay warm of the cold season. It was 40 degrees out and the heat still wasn’t on, and I just so happen to be going through my spice drawer and found a batch of everything bagel seasoning that I had mixed up a couple months ago that needed to be used. Hence the bread.

Cold weather+found seasoning+I should make something for dinner=everything bagel focaccia. Or you can just make it because it is super easy and every time I make focaccia it gets gobbled right up. Especially this time. Barb and the mr ate half of it at dinner. And I think the other half was gone by the next day. To quote the mr. “This focaccia is professional”. He said it with a mouth full of bread. No shit dude. I am professional. Ha

Start with getting the yeast and warm water mixed together. Let it sit for a minute or 5, just to make sure it is active (this is more important to do if you are not using fresh yeast)

Once you are sure your yeast is alive, add in the flour and mix together until you are having a hard time mixing anymore.

Dump dough onto a floured surface and start to knead. Probably for 5 minutes, until you dough looks like….

This. Kneaded until smooth and beautiful .

Place dough into a deep bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Make sure the whole ball is coated. Then cover with a damp cloth and stick in a warm place to rise for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Once dough has doubled, grab your baking sheet (can use a pan) and coat the pan with about 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Place the dough into pan and spread it out using your fingertips. Flip the dough over if you need to and keep dimpling the dough until it hits all the sides. Drizzle on another tablespoon of oil on top.

And don’t forget the seasoning. Sprinkle on all the everything seasoning along with the sea salt and some cracked pepper. Make sure to be somewhat liberal with the seasonings too because you know that’s what you want.

Into the oven for 30ish minutes then out of the oven

Look at all the everything.

Drizzle the top of the bread with a little more olive oil, pop it out of the pan, stick it on a cutting board, and that’s it. Now watch your slab of bread disappear.

Happy bread baking. Stay warm.

-C

Everything Bagel Focaccia

make a 9x13 slab of bread

4 cups all purpose flour (plus a little more for kneading)

2 cups warm water

2 teaspoon yeast (or one packet)

3 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning*

1 tablespoon sea salt

cracked pepper

about 1/3 cup very good olive oil

*Note To make your own everything bagel seasoning mix up equal parts dried minced garlic, dried onion flakes, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. Or I think you can buy it now at the store with all the other spices. But it’s probably cheaper to make it yourself.

To start, place yeast and warm water in a big bowl. Mix until incorporated and let sit for a minute or two or until you see little bubble form, just to make sure the yeast is active. When your sure it’s good, add in 4 cups of flour. Mix with a wooden spoon or dough mixer until it becomes hard to mix anymore. Dump the dough onto a flour surface and start to knead, adding a little bit of flour as you go if it became to sticky, until the dough is smooth and uniform. Should take about 5 minutes. Place the kneaded dough back into bowl (scrap any of the extra bits out first) and drizzle with olive oil. Make sure the whole dough is coated. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot. Let dough rise for an hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375.

Once dough has doubled, grab a 9x13 baking sheet or pan and coat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Really make sure the pan is well greased. Place dough into pan and with the tips of your fingers, smoosh and spread dough until it has filled up the pan. Drizzle with another tablespoon of oil then take your seasoning and evenly spread it all over the top. Sprinkle with salt and add a little cracked pepper. Now pop it into the preheated oven. Bake for 30 -35 minutes or until the bread has turned a nice golden brown.

Remove from oven and right away drizzle on another tablespoon or so of olive oil. Let sit for a few minutes to absorb then pop the bread out of the pan and place on a rack or cutting board and either let cool, or not. Warm focaccia is loved by all.

The mr has a soft spot for tortilla chips. He doesn't get chips often, but when he does it is usually the super fried, super salty, in a plastic bag, tortilla chips. And I am ok with that because it is not often and the dude deserves chips when he wants them. But I hate how crappy they are for him, especially all the salt. So much salt that I can smell it in my mouth (yes, I said that right). So, as with everything else we eat in the house, I now make chips from scratch. (Slowly I have eliminated just about everything that is pre packaged and started making it myself. I think it's pretty much just the dried pasta and the mr's yogurt and cheese that I haven't gotten to.Yet.) This way he can eat his chips and I don't have to sit there tasting the smell and thinking about the crap that he is eating. I know I say this a lot, but lets just take a minute here and acknowledge how I really am the best girlfriend ever.

Ok, now about these chips. I have made plan tortilla chips a few times before and figured it was time for a twist. In come black beans. Why, because I was pretty sure beans were going to be awesome, and lo and behold, I was completely right. Adding the beans take little to no more effort then making the chips without, and bonus here, more fiber and protein and good stuff going into a chip. Then they are lightly oil, lightly salted, and eaten without any guilt because I made them and they are the best. Seriously, the mr thinks they are amazing and doesn't miss those pre package ones a bit. And sure, they might take a little time and minimal effort, but really they are super easy and the time and effort to make them is probably no more then going into a store, waiting in line to pay, and driving home to eat your chips. You can have these chip made in that amount of time. So you might as well just make them.

To the chips.

The stuff. Masa harnia, black beans, water, salt, and a little oil. There should be a lemon or lime here too, but I forgot to stick it into the picture. Oops.

Pretty easy. Add the beans to a food processor and blend untill completely smooth. Add in the masa and pulse then gradually add in water until a dough forms. Stop and feel the dough. If it feels like play dough and comes together into ball easily, then you are good. If it is to wet, add a little more masa, to dry, more water.

Dump the dough onto the counter and form into a ball. Place the doguh into a bowl and cover with a damp closer for 15-30 minutes to let the dough rest.

After the rest, divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls. Place the balls onto a damp cloth and cover while you are making the tortillas so they don't dry out.

To flatten those balls into tortillas. After doing this a bunch of times, I have a system that works the best for me. I use a large ziplock bag (the plastic is a little thicker and easier to deal with, plus I don't use plastic wrap), a cutting board, and a rolling pin. Place a dough ball into the center of the bag then take the cutting board and press directly on top, placing all your weight onto it. It gets flat, but not flat enough so take the rolling pin and flatten some more. Then press the rolled out dough with the cutting board one last time. Carefuly remove from bag and place direrely onto a hot dry skillet.

Cook each side 3-4 minutes or until it starts to get a few light brown spots. Once cooked, place on a plate or baking sheet. If I were just making tortillas, I would place then in between a kitchen towel to keep them warm, but because they are destined for chips and don't care.

Black bean corn tortillas. Hey, you could stop here and make a taco or something if you need to. Feel free to use a tortilla or two before using the rest to make the into chips.

So chips. Grab baking sheets, oil, salt, a knife, and the tortillas. Take a few of the tortillas and oil them. (The easiest way I found to do this is to rub oil on with my hands then rub the oil onto the tortillas. ) Oil 3 at a time, stacked them on top of each other and cut into 8 triangles,

Get as many of the triangles onto a baking sheet as you can, without overlapping. Once all nice and tight, sprinkle the tops with salt and pop them into preheated oven.

Pull the chips out of the oven when they are crispy and done (about 10 minutes) then squeeze a little lemon juice all over the chips. Toss around and pop the pan back into the oven for another minute or two just so the juice doesn't leave the chips soggy.

Dump cooked chips onto a wire rack to cool. Eat as you work, you deserve it.

Pile chips into a bowl, and serve with some salsa or guacamole or whatever you eat you chips with. They are your chips.

-C

Black Bean Tortilla Chips

Makes 98 chips, or like a good sized bag worth

2 cups masa harina

1 cup cooked black beans in bean juice

1- 1 1/4 cups warm water

couple teaspoons neutral oil (I used grape seed oil)

2-3 teaspoons salt

A lemon or lime

Beans go into a food processor and blended until completely smooth. Add in the masa and blend, slowly adding 3/4 cups water until a dough starts to forms. Stop and check dough. It should feel like play dough and come together easilty onto a ball. If it feel wet, add in a couple of tablespoons more of the masa. If it is still too dry and crumbly, add in more water until it's to the right consistnacey. Dump dough onto counter and form in a ball. Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp towel and let sit for abut 15-30 minutes.

Preheat a skillet on medium high heat on stove.

Once dough has rested, divide into 12 pieces and roll into balls. Place balls onto a damp towel and cover when not working with them. Grab a large ziplock bag, a cutting board, and a rolling pin. Take a dough ball and place in the center of the bag. Press down with the cutting board, placing all your weight on top. It got flat, but not flat enough. Continue to flatten out with the rolling pin until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Press again one last time with the cutting board. Gently remove from bag and place directly onto the hot skillet. Cook each side for 3-4 minutes or until it starts to get a few light brown spot. Place cooked tortilla on a baking sheet or in between a kitchen towel. Repeat until all 12 dough balls are cooked into tortillas.

Preheat oven to 375

Working in 3's. dump a little oil onto your hand then lightly rub it all over the tortillas. Stack them on top of each other then cut into 8 wedged. Place wedges onto a baking sheet, get as many as you can onto sheet without any overlapping, then sprinkle with salt. to taste. If you have them, use multiple baking sheets. Place in oven for about 10-12 minutes or until the chips are crispy. Remove and sprinkle lemon juice all over the chips. Toss around and place back into oven for a minute or two just until lth lemon juice evaporates. Remove and dump chips onto a wire rack to cool.

Eat chips. Any left over can be placed into a airtight container or bag and will last about 3-4 days.

Pineapples have been on sale all week long. I think it's because Easter and I guess people need pineapples for Easter for some reason. Does Pineapple have anything to do with bunnies or Jesus? I think not. Pretty sure it has something to do with cake or ham or some shit, but I honestly don't care because I just like the fact that I can buy a few (like 3) pineapples without breaking the bank. (I think I am going to buy 3 more for the dehydrator) Plus it is always good to have a pineapple or 3 on the counter at home. You never know when you are going to need one. So lets give a shout out to the Easter bunny and Jesus. Thanks for the cheap pineapples. HA!

So now you are have those pineapples, you are going want to eat them. And maybe you don't want to eat them with cake or ham or some shit. You are going to want to eat it the best way...In a stir fry.

This is by far one of my favorite stir fry combinations. Pineapple does amazing things when cooked a bit, especially with soy, broccoli, and tofu. This dish definitely let's pineapple reach it's full pineapple potential. It is so good that tI think I might even prefer my pineapple cooked along with savory stuff. It is just so right and seriously so freaking good. The mr even get excited for it and he is not the excitable kind of guy. Plus it's fast (especially if you have already cut up your pineapple) and easy because stir fry and that's what stir fries are. Fast and easy, just like..........(insert your favorite fast and easy person and then chuckle)

And don't try to use canned pineapple because no. Just get the fresh one,even if it's not on sale. It's a must.

The stuff. A pineapple (you are only going to need 1/3 of this, but you can never have too much fresh pineapple on hand), a big head of broccoli, a little cabbage, and some firm tofu. Also need some soy, a few cloves of garlic, a little fresh ginger, a bit of oil, and pepper.

Dice up the tofu into cubes and place on a clean dish towel to absorb some moisture.

Grab the fresh pineapple. Cut it up the way you do, but the easiest way for me is to cut in half the cut that half into fourths then cut the skin away. You are going to have a lot of extra pineapple so snack as you need too. I always eat like half of what I am cutting up and end up with pineapple gut. SO maybe watch yourself.

Pour some soy into a cup and mince the garlic and ginger.

Garlic, ginger, soy. Looking good.

Cut up about 2ish (or more if you want) pineapple into small mouth sized pieces. Break Broccoli head into small florets and shredded the cabbage.

Tofu into a lightly oiled hot skillet with a splash of soy, cooked until a nice crisp brown on all sides. Once it is cooked, remove from pan and set aside.

It's the broccolis turn. Add in the florets and a splash of water to start cooking down for a few minutes, it need the head start.

Once the broccoli turns bright green and is slightly less raw, add in the pineapple and cook until the broccoli is slightly tender and the pineapple starts to caramalize which will take about 5-7 minutes.

Add the tofu back in along with the shredded cabbage and dump the soy ginger garlic mixture all over.. Keep cooking and stirring around until everything is hot and the liquid has mostly been absorbed.

That's some stir fry ladies and gentlemen.

You might want some rice to accompany your stir fry so think about it and have it ready. Other then that, it's food to face time.

Enjoy the best stir fry ever.

Bye.

-C

Pineapple Broccoli And Tofu Stir Fry

serves 2

1/3 of a fresh pineapple (about 2 cups cubed)

1/2 block firm tofu

a large head of broccoli (about 2 1/2-3 cups of florets)

1/4 head of red or green cabbage (about a cup shredded)

2-3 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons soy or tamari

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

pepper

Cooked rice to serve with (Optional)

Cube tofu into 1 inch pieces and either place on a dry towel to absorb the moisture or place the tofu into the microwave and heat for 2 minutes. When you take it out of the microwave there will be a lot of liquid...pour it off and pat the tofu dry.

Cube fresh pineapple into similar sized pieces and break broccoli into small florets. Shred cabbage.

Mince garlic and add to a bowl or jar with the grated ginger and soy sauce.

Place a large skillet on the stove an medium heat. Drizzle in a little olive oil. Once oil is hot, place the tofu in with a splash of soy, cooking until all sides are a nice dark browned. Remove the tofu from pan and add the in the broccoli. Add a splash of water and cook for 5 minutes. Then add in the pineapple and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until the pineapple starts to caramelize and the broccoli os no longer raw. Add the tofu back in along with the shredded cabbage and pour the soy garlic ginger mixture all over. Sprinkle with pepper to taste. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the liquid has cooked down.

There is something about purple cabbage that makes me feel like I need to share it. It sounds weird , especially because I eat about a head of cabbage a day, but that is green cabbage. I barely buy purple cabbage because it cost twice as much and I really like green , but at farm share when you get to pick what color you want, I alway pick the purple. ( Side note. I used to call it red cabbage but have since stopped because it is very clearly purple and calling red just doesn't make any sense)

I also feel the need to do something a little more the chopping it up and eating it raw. So I make a little fancy. pretty, almond crunchy mustard type thing because that's what I was feeling and I figure the mr would like it too. Note that I ended up using half a green and half the purple because color is nice and also I ended up eating the other half of the purple before I could share it. But I caught myself before eating it all to may face and was proud of myself for thinking of others.

This dish is good, really really good. . It has roasted cabbage which is alway great, but slathered with maple mustard and crunchy almonds.. it's just freaking fantastic in all the ways. It also happens to be super easy to prepare and with minimal ingredients. It makes for a great side dish, a main dish, and is great for sharing during the holidays that are just around the corner. Or if you are like me, not sharing and eating all afternoon long. (I did save some for the m for dinner because I am so nice)

The stuff. Cabbage, red or green or a bit of both, stone ground mustard, maple syrup, almonds and pepper.

Easy peasy. Cut the cabbages about an 3/4 inch thick and lay them on a baking sheet. Pop it into the oven once it's preheated.

While thats going on, mix some maple with the mustard and chop up the almonds.

After about 25 minutes, pull the cabbage out and flip them. Cover the top with maple mustard and sprinkle on the almonds. Stick the cabbage back into the oven and bake another 10-15 minutes, or until it's roasted to your taste preference (I like it really roasted)

Just look how pretty it is.

Serves from a baking sheet but would look so lovely on a nice plater, you know, if you want to be extra classy.

This cabbage situation is all of it.

Have a great weekend and hope the Thanksgiving planning goes smoothly.

-C

Maple Mustard Roasted Cabbage with Almonds

Makes about 6-8 slabs

1 head of cabbage (red or green or half of both)

1/4 cup stone ground mustard

2 tablespoon maple syrup

1/3 cup raw almonds

pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 425

Slice cabbage into thick slabs about 3/4 inch thick. Try to get them roughly the same thickness so they roast evenly. Lay the cabbage on a baking sheet, not overlapping, and stick into the oven once it's preheated. Bake for 25 minutes or until the bottoms of the cabbage are crispy.

While cabbage is roasting, mix mustard and maple together and roughly chop the almonds.

After the 25 minutes, grab the cabbage from the oven and flip each piece. Cover the tops with the maple mustard and sprinkle on chopped almonds. Place back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes and roast until the cabbage is as crispy as you like it.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with good pepper, and serve. Extra maple muastd is welcomed to some. Any left over (but there won't be any) is great eaten cold before bed or tossed onto a salad for lunch the next day.

I feel like tofu sometimes get a bad rap. I don't think that anyone in my family (or most of them) would willingly eat tofu even though they have no clue what it tastes like. They say they don't like it but that's bullshit because they have just never tried it. They all just think that only crunchy hippies are allowed to eat it or if they do eat it, they will turn into a crunchy hippie. Either way, they are butt heads and are missing out. I think one of the big reasons some people don't like it is that they think tofu is suppose to be a meat replacement. That is wrong. Tofu is tofu(which is soy) and is not trying to be meat.

In our house we eat tofu a couple times a week. Sometimes as a main meal or sometimes in soups or bread or pie, or where ever I feel like I want it, but mostly just a quick sear and into the belly it goes. There are so many ways to prepare and flavor it but honesty, more times then not, my go to is simple. Lemon, pepper, salt. It's quick, easy, super tasty, goes with everything and I always have the ingredients.

So to all those who think tofu is gross, I say, try it or if you have really tried it, try it again. And then if you still think it's gross, well ok then. And to all those who like tofu, you will like this. And you are cool.

The stuff. Extra firm tofu, a couple small lemons, salt, pepper, and some olive oil.

Fist off, cut up tofu. I like to cut in talk, then into fourths, thne into squares and those square into little triangles. But you can cut it into strips or square... whatever you like, just make sure that each piece isn't more then 1/2 inch thick.

Once cut up, place the tofu onto a clean dry towel, cover with another towel, and press, trying to remove as much liquid as you can without tuning tofu into mush. I will usually let the tofu sit on out on the counter like this for a little while,

Once you are ready for cooking, preheat a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil and optional, preheat the oven. Mix together the salt ans pepper then sprinkle both sides of the tofu with it.

Zest lemons and cut in half so they are ready to juice.

Place tofu pieces into hot skillet, single layer and squeeze some lemon all over. Sear the tofu until the bottoms are a nice deep brown. Flip and repeat, adding more lemon juice.

Once the tofu is cooked both sides, sprinkle with the lemon zest. Now here is a personal preference. I like my tofu a bit more on the cooked side so I slide the skillet of tofu into the oven for 10 minutes or so. The mr like it just as it is. So either way. I say try it before the oven and stick it in if you think it needs to cook more.

And it's done.

Tofu with a side of broccoli. Not a bad dinner, not bad at all.

-C

Lemon Pepper Tofu

serves 2-3

1 package extra firm tofu

2 small lemons

1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or more to taste)

1 tablespoon crushed pepper

olive oil

Remove tofu from package and cut in half. Cut each half into fourths then cut each forth into square then each square in half diagonally. Or cut tofu into whatever shape and thickness you like, just don't make the pieces to small or more then 1/2 inch thick. Once cut, place on to a clean dry towel and cover, pressing gently to remove as much excess water without squishing it.

*Preheat oven to 400 (Option. See below)

Mix together the salt and pepper then start to preheat an oven safe skillet on medium high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Zest the lemons and cut in half.. Once the skillet is hot, sprinkle the tofu, front and back, with the salt and pepper mixture. Place half the tofu(if you pan is not big enough, cook in 2 batches) into hot pan and squeeze the juice of a lemon (or half a lemon if doing batches) on top. Let tofu cook until the bottom is a nice deep brown. Flip all the pieces , add the juice of other lemon(or half a lemon if doing batches) and cook until the bottom is a deep brown. Once cooked, sprinkle the tofu with the zest of the lemon.

*Option. After I cook the tofu on the stove top, I usually stick the tofu, (in the skillet) into a hot oven for 10-15 minutes to give it more of a hearty texture. The mr prefers the tofu much softer so I will skip this step for him.

Serve right away with some broccoli, rice, or whatever floats your boat.

Cabbage is probably the number one eaten food in my house. It is not uncommon for us to go through a very large head a day. And I get that it may seem odd to you, but it's true. We are cabbage people, so much so that we will probably turn into cabbage patch people. I can see it now.

One of the reasons that we eat so much cabbage is that it is so versatile.. Raw, steamed, roasted, the possibilities are a plenty, not to mention that cabbage is pretty dang cheap. And not to far around the corner it is St Patrick's day when cabbage is basically given out for free. During this time I stock up, buy 100 lbs and ferment, roast, and peel my way through all of it. Is it sick that I am kind of excited about that ? (there are worse things to be excited about)

This cabbage dish is one of those dishes that can be eaten on it's own, as a side, or as a condiment. Topped on a salad, stuffed into a sandwich, or shoveled into the mouth. You really can't go wrong eating it anyway.

Shred up the cabbage and onions. Thin is good, but some bigger pieces are good too.

Into a big pot sprinkled with caraway, salt and pepper. A splash of water helps to get things started. Stickon a low heat topped with a lid. And just let it be for a while butgive it a stir ever 10-15 minutes or so.

About an hour it's all cooked down and sweet and tasty as can be. A splash of vinegar finishes it off.

This batch was destined for the mr's open faced cheese sandwich. I thought I made enough to pack some for lunch, butI ended up just eating the left overs for a snack. I don't know why I didn't make more. Next batch I'll make it a double.

Happy day to you.

-C

Slow Cooked Caraway Cabbage and Onions

makes about 2 cups

1 small or 1/2 a large head of cabbage

2 yellow onions

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

olive oil for pot

salt and pepper

Thinly shred the cabbage and thinly slice the onions. Dump the now shredded cabbage and onion into a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot that has a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle with caraways seeds and about a teaspoon salt, a good splash or water then mix around. Place pot on a low heat and cover. Let cook down for about 45 minutes to an hour , stirringever 10 minutes or so, until the mixture has shrunk to about 1/3 it's original size and is soft and tender. When just about done, mix in a tablespoon of the vinegar . Taste and season with more vinegar, salt and pepper if you like.

A few weeks ago the mr and I were standing at the check out line at the grocery store when up behind us comes Shannon (sister of mine) which was really weird because I was just saying how I felt like I was going to see her there. (Sister ESP) Of course we just started talking and stopped paying attention. (handed over the bags and wallets to the mr) She was telling me about the party she was going to and the salad she was really excited to go home and make for that party. (like as excited I as I get when I talk about salad, but maybe she was more excited about the party, hard to tell) The lady cashier rang us through while the mr was kind enough to bag and pay, then rang Shannon through, which the mr was also kind enough to bag and pay(using her card). We chatted a bit more, walked our separate ways and moseyed on home. When we got there, I started putting our groceries away and there it was, a bag of Shannon's groceries, the stuff for the salad she was going to make for her party. Oops. So the mr called her up and told her, was willing to drive all the way back to her house right then and there in the snow to bring it to her no problem, but she just laughed and said no. She would just make something else. All she wanted was for us to eat it, or better yet, make the salad she was going to make and then eat it. And that is what I did, or at least I think I did. I used the cabbage, limes, and broccoli that she bought, some black beans I had, chopped and tossed and ate. Not sure if it is exactly what she as describing, but it's good.

Thanks Shannon for the bag of groceries, sorry we stole it. I owe you a salad.

Tossed. Now it may look done, but what this salad really needs is time to let the lime juice do it's work. Let the salad sit for at least 30 minutes, but heck, if you make this a few hours, if not even a day ahead, well it's only going to taste that much better.

And after the wait, eat it.

This salad makes for a great light Lunch or a pre-dinner (the small meal you eat before dinner, that's a thing right?)

Enjoy your weekend.

-C

Lime Broccoli Cabbage and Black Bean Salad

serves 4-6

2 cups cooked or 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

Half of a small head of red cabbage

1 large broccoli crown

1 or 2 juicy limes

a good pinch of salt

Finely shred the cabbage and small chop the broccoli. (stem and all) Dump the veggies into a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Mix in the drained black beans and toss with the juice of the lime. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. This salad taste good just made but only gets better with time, like if you can make it a few hours, if not a day ahead, go for it. When you are ready to eat. well eat it. Add more salt if needed, more lime juice if you want, maybe a pinch or two of pepper.